Conceptualizing human resource management in the gig economy: Toward a platform ecosystem perspective
Open accessAbstract
Purpose: Although it is transforming the meaning of employment for many people, little is known about the implications of the gig economy for human resource management (HRM) theory and practice. The purpose of this paper is to conceptually explore the notion of HRM in the gig economy, where intermediary platform firms design and implement HRM activities while simultaneously trying to avoid the establishment of employment relationships with gig workers. Design/methodology/approach: To conceptualize HRM in the gig economy, the authors offer a novel ecosystem perspective to develop propositions on the role and implementation of HRM activities in the gig economy. Findings: The authors show that HRM activities in the gig economy are designed to govern platform ecosystems by aligning the multilateral exchanges of three key gig economy actors: gig workers, requesters and intermediary platform firms, for ensuring value co-creation. The authors argue that the implementation of HRM activities in the gig economy is contingent on the involvement and activities of these gig economy actors. This means that they are not mere recipients of HRM but also actively engaged in, and needed for, the execution of HRM activities. Originality/value: The study contributes to research by proposing a theoretical framework for studying the design of HRM activities, and their implementation, in the gig economy. From this framework, the authors derive directions for future research on HRM in the gig economy.
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OLPs also employ community managers and marketing specialists to manage communication within and outside of the platform.
“OLPs also employ community managers and marketing specialists to manage communication within and outside of the platform (Gegenhuber et al., 2020;Meijerink & Keegan, 2019).”
From Algorithmic human resource management: Synthesizing developments and cross-disciplinary insights on digital HRM (2021) · cites this paper as Meijerink & Keegan, 2019
The available passages contain bibliographic metadata (labeled Abstract, page unavailable), not discussion of platform staffing. Searches for community managers, marketing specialists, and internal or external platform communication found no passage addressing the claim. (LLM, conf=0.72)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredAlgorithms, human agency and social processes in OLPs are likely to differ due to their business model and how they interact with (platform) workers.
“algorithms, human agency and social processes in OLPs are likely to differ due to their business model and how they interact with (platform) workers (Gegenhuber et al., 2020;Kuhn & Maleki, 2017;Meijerink & Keegan, 2019;Wood et al., 2019).”
From Algorithmic human resource management: Synthesizing developments and cross-disciplinary insights on digital HRM (2021) · cites this paper as Meijerink & Keegan, 2019
The available indexed passages are bibliographic metadata (some labeled Abstract; no page numbers), not discussion of platform practices. Searches for algorithms, human agency, business models, and interactions with platform workers found no passage addressing the claim. (LLM, conf=0.72)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
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Cites
Towards a theory of ecosystems
Jacobides, M. G., Cennamo, C., & Gawer, A. (2018) · Strategic Management Journal · doi:10.1002/smj.2904 · Cited by 3,724 · see citing works
Understanding HRM–Firm Performance Linkages: The Role of the “Strength” of the HRM System
Bowen, D. E., & Ostroff, C. (2004) · Academy of Management Review · doi:10.5465/amr.2004.12736076 · Cited by 2,996 · see citing works
Ecosystem as Structure: An Actionable Construct for Strategy
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Building Effective Online Marketplaces with Institution-Based Trust
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Labor Market Intermediaries and the New Paradigm for Human Resources
Bonet, R., Cappelli, P., & Hamori, M. (2013) · Academy of Management Annals · doi:10.5465/19416520.2013.774213 · Cited by 199 · see citing works
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Self-citation
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Duggan, J., Sherman, U., Carbery, R., & McDonnell, A. (2020) · Human Resource Management Journal · doi:10.1111/1748-8583.12258 · Cited by 1,050 · see citing works
Algorithmic management in a work context
Jarrahi, M. H., Newlands, G., Lee, M. K., Wolf, C. T., Kinder, E., & Sutherland, W. (2021) · Big Data & Society · doi:10.1177/20539517211020332 · Cited by 532 · see citing works
“Much of what we know about algorithmic management comes from nascent research in this domain (e.g. Meijerink and Keegan, 2019; Sutherland and Jarrahi, 2018), where a particular focus has been placed on how algorithmic management both substitutes and complements traditional managerial over-sight…”
BackgroundMeijerink, J., Boons, M., Keegan, A., & Marler, J. (2021) · The International Journal of Human Resource Management · doi:10.1080/09585192.2021.1925326 · Cited by 267 · see citing works
Self-citationWorking on my own: Measuring the challenges of gig work
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Waldkirch, M., Bucher, E., Schou, P. K., & Grünwald, E. (2021) · The International Journal of Human Resource Management · doi:10.1080/09585192.2021.1914129 · Cited by 173 · see citing works
“Meijerink and Keegan (2019) provide an ecosystem perspective on HRM to outline the multilateral exchanges between client, worker, and platform, highlighting that all three parties take a role in initiating, implementing, and receiving HRM activities.”
BackgroundInfluentialBoundaryless careers and algorithmic constraints in the gig economy
Duggan, J., Sherman, U., Carbery, R., & McDonnell, A. (2022) · The International Journal of Human Resource Management · doi:10.1080/09585192.2021.1953565 · Cited by 129 · see citing works
Norlander, P., Jukic, N., Varma, A., & Nestorov, S. (2021) · The International Journal of Human Resource Management · doi:10.1080/09585192.2020.1867614 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
Job candidates’ reactions to AI-enabled job application processes
van Esch, P., Black, J. S., & Arli, D. (2021) · AI and Ethics · doi:10.1007/s43681-020-00025-0 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Dedema, M., & Rosenbaum, H. (2024) · Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology · doi:10.1002/asi.24868 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
“…and provision of goods and services through the facilitation of an online platform (Cheng, 2016); the latter describes an economic system in which workers, such as freelancers and independent contractors, have high mobility and flexibility to engage in digital labor (Meijerink & Keegan, 2019).”
BackgroundMeijerink, J., & Schoenmakers, E. (2021) · Journal of Tourism Futures · doi:10.1108/jtf-04-2019-0039 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Self-citationAnthropotropism: Searching for Recognition in the Scandinavian Gig Economy
Newlands, G. (2022) · Sociology · doi:10.1177/00380385211063362 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
- Authors
- Meijerink, J., & Keegan, A.
- Affiliations
- University of Twente (NL)
- University College Dublin (IE)
- Venue
- Journal of Managerial Psychology
- Publisher
- Emerald
- Published
- 2019-05-13
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 214-232
- ISSN
- 0268-3946 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2933742758
- Cited by
- 345
- References
- 6
- Citations by year
- 2026: 50 · 2025: 58 · 2024: 69 · 2023: 57 · 2022: 32 · 2021: 56 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 2 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 51.85
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- research.utwente.nl
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Managerial Psychology (publishedVersion)
- University of Twente Research Information (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- Research Repository UCD (University College Dublin) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Arrow@dit (Dublin Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion)
- University of Twente Research Information (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Economy and Work Transformation
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Industrial relations › Legal and Labor Studies
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Human Resource and Talent Management
- Keywords
- gig economy, human resource management, platform ecosystems, platform companies, gig workers, employment relationship, value co-creation, HRM implementation, conceptual framework
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